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Getting Ready for the Big Day... Your Wedding!

It's the day most women dream of and imagine again and again as little girls, your wedding day, and how terribly exciting for you! It's certainly going to be the most romantic day of your life, as well as one of the most important you are ever likely to experience. A day that is all about you and your loving partner, a day that will be looked back upon and celebrated again and again throughout the rest of both of your lives. And of course you want everything to be absolutely perfect.

A little thought and careful planning will go a long way to making the hard job of planning a wedding easier on you, and a very difficult job it is! You won't likely ever plan anything again that is as vitally important to you as your wedding, and certainly not with attention to minute detail you will this wonderful, life-changing event. Knowing the best way to approach the many tasks that lay ahead of you will help to make sure this remains an enjoybable experience and limit any stress that may come your way.

Wedding Hair - Getting off to a Good Start

Most brides who intend to have a large, formal wedding begin
planning for the event at least a year in advance. This is also the best time to start planning for having luscious, healthy flowing locks on your wedding day. The average head of hair grows 6" a year (or a 1/2" per month) which gives you lots of leeway for correcting current problems and planning your bridal hairstyle. Check out the Ultimate Guide to Growing Long Hair to find out exactly what you should be doing and even more importantly, shouldn't be doing to ensure your hair is stunning come the big day. Remember, longer hair will give you more styling options!

Color and The Bride

Weddings aren't just about white anymore! Vera Wang, Demetrios, Venus... many of the most elegant bridal design houses are incorporating color into their wedding gown designs. Pastel shades of pink, purple, yellow and blue, either as a focal point or accent color, make exquisite additions to your bridal color palette. Some designers are even incorporating sparkling gold or silver into their gowns, with spectacularly glistening results! It's important to remember to consider how the hues you choose complement your own coloring. Remember, these are the colors that are going to be surrounding you all day and will appear in all your wedding photos and video. It wouldn't do to have a beautiful pale complexion and mane of copper hair surrounded by a decidedly uncomplimentary shade of teal, even if teal is your favorite color! Choosing hues that work with your own coloring will ensure that even your environment works to enhance your beauty. Check out the LongLocks Hair Color Chart to help you pinpoint the best shades to complement your very own coloring.

Much Ado About Wedding Updos

It's best to first decide which is more important to you, a certain hairstyle you've always dreamed of wearing on your wedding day, or the style of bridal veil you've had your heart set on wearing. The hair style you choose and your wedding veil must work well together and making this happen can sometimes be a formidable task if not planned well ahead of time. Once you've decided with which to start you can work with your designer or hair stylist to complete the look.

If you have first chosen a veil, take it to your stylist at least a couple months before the wedding and work with them to create a bridal hairstyle that complements both you and your headpiece. Keep in mind that you don't want to do anything drastic like cutting, perming or dying your hair so close to your wedding that there isn't time to correct mistakes beforehand. If you are planning a big change do it early enough to leave time to make adjustments if you need to.

If you know your dream wedding hair style, have your stylist do your hair in the same style the morning of the day you are planning to shop for your veil. This way you can easily decide what style of headband or tiara design, and length and style of veil, will work best with your hairstyle.

Great Tips to Ensure Your Hair is Perfect on Your Wedding Day:

1. Take several photographs of hairstyles you like to your stylist when planning your look. Tear pictures of looks you love from bridal and hairstyling magazines or print hair style examples from the web such as those found in the LongLocks HairStyle Gallery.
2. Bring a friend along to capture photos of the look from all angles so you can print them late and refresh your stylist's memory on your wedding day (or have another hair stylist recreate it if your stylist becomes unavailable for some reason!)
3. Consider wearing beautiful hair jewelry under your veil so you continue to sparkle even if you remove your head piece at your reception. A pair of one-of-a-kind LongLocks BridalStix (as featured in For the Bride magazine, the cover of our issue appears at right) will not only add a breathtaking component to your wedding hair style but will also become a treasured heirloom for future generations. Remember to take them to your hair stylist when planning your bridal hairstyle.
4. Consider not wearing a veil at all! A pair of LongLocks HairSticks worn alone, delicate flowers tucked into flowing curls, or even a string of freshwater pearls or lace ribbon woven through a braid can create a simple yet elegant look.

Traditional... or Daringly Different?

Want your wedding to be dramatically different than every wedding you've ever attended? Want it to be memorable for all your guests and the topic of conversation for years to come? Or maybe this is your second wedding or you're renewing your vows and you've already gone the route of the classic shades of white or ivory. If any of these scenarios describe your wedding, consider doing something delightfully daring with your style. Use your imagination and dare to dream a wedding no one will ever forget! For instance, consider wearing a spectacularly embroidered Japanese silk wedding kimono (called a "uchikake").

Perhaps you have a treasured vintage gold lamé ballgown with the back cut to there. Pair it with a bouquet of deep, velvety red tulips and really WOW your guests. Style your hair in a stunning vintage updo secured with a pair of gold-dusted LongLocks MajeStix.

Is traditional more your style but you still want to add a bit of daring? Try wearing a classic pastel or ivory wedding gown with a brightly dyed crinoline underneath. No one will be the wiser until you kick up your heals at your wedding reception and show everyone your fun-loving side! Wear a pair of traditional LongLocks BridalStix to keep your secret or perhaps a pair of petticoat-coordinating LongLocks SugarStix to hint at things to come!

Now is the Time to Rock the Bling!

Want to look and feel like a platinum bride even if you can't afford an all-out platinum wedding? One of the coolest ideas to recently come along in recent years is the ability to rent glamorous wedding jewelry... and it's actually the real thing! Everything from drop-dead gorgeous pearl necklaces set in shimmering platinum to the most elegant of genuine gemstone earrings, to even a to-die-for diamond tiara can be had for a mere song from any of several jewelry rental sites. How incredibly fun! What a fabulous way to wear the jewels you've always dreamed of owning without the outrageous expense or just hoping another occasion will come along where you can wear something so exquisitely decadent, and all for just a mere fraction of the price that it would cost you to purchase the jewelry yourself!

Don't Forget Your Wedding Attendants!

Be they many or few, your attendants are a very special and important part of your wedding. You've worked hard to coordinate your style with their likes and dislikes and still maintain an elegant, sophisticated look for your ceremony.

Don't forget to discuss hairstyles with your bridesmaids and maid of honor, not to mention your flower girl (or her mother). Do you want a similar look on everyone? You might want all the women in your wedding party with long hair to wear formal updos. Are there head pieces to consider? If so, your attendants will have to take the same steps ahead of time as you do to determine what hair styles will work with them.

Would you prefer everyone do their own thing to represent their own personal style? You might want to have each attendant discuss her hairstyling ideas with you beforehand. And by all means, don't forget gifts for the women who share your special day with you! LongLocks HairSticks and our luxurious Waltzing Willow Fine Sterling Silver Jewelry make wonderful gifts for your bridesmaids.

There are many things to consider when determining the look and style of your wedding. With a little effort and early planning everything will turn out beautifully and you'll have a magical day to remember forever and look back upon with happiness and love for all those who shared your special day.